Josef Heinen - Getting more out of Matplotlib with GR
Python is well established in software development departments of
research and industry, not least because of the proliferation of
libraries such as _SciPy_ and _Matplotlib_. However, when processing
large amounts of data, in particular in combination with GUI toolkits
(_Qt_) or three-dimensional visualizations (_OpenGL_), Python as an
interpretative programming language seems to be reaching its limits.
In particular, large amounts of data or the visualization of three-
dimensional scenes may overwhelm the system.
This presentation shows how visualization applications with special
performance requirements can be designed on the basis of _Matplotlib_
and _GR_, a high-performance visualization library for Linux, OS X and
Windows. The lecture focuses on the development of a new graphics
backend for _Matplotlib_ based on the _GR_ framework. By combining the
power of those libraries the responsiveness of animated visualization
applications and their resulting frame rates can be improved
significantly. This in turn allows the use of _Matplotlib_ in real-
time environments, for example in the area of signal processing.
Using concrete examples, the presentation will demonstrate the
benefits of the [GR framework] as a companion module for
_Matplotlib_, both in _Python_ and _Julia_. Based on selected
applications, the suitability of the _GR framework_ will be
highlighted especially in environments where time is critical. The
system’s performance capabilities will be illustrated using demanding
live applications. In addition, the special abilities of the _GR
framework_ are emphasized in terms of interoperability with graphical
user interfaces (_Qt/PySide_) and _OpenGL_, which opens up new
possibilities for existing _Matplotlib_ applications. |